Pope Francis is set to join Instagram in a bid to widen his social footprint and help spread the Catholic message to a tech-savvy generation.

The pontiff will join the likes of Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber on the platform under the handle @Franciscus on Saturday (16 March) to celebrate the third anniversary of his inauguration as leader of the Catholic church.

Dario Viganò, the Vatican's prefect of communications, confirmed the move during an appearance on Vatican Radio on Tuesday (16 March).

The move is part of wider social media strategy dreamt up by the church to ensure the pope's teachings reach a large number of believers and non-believers globally.